Chicken rice recipe

As mentioned in a previous entry, this chicken rice recipe involves steeping, not boiling. The steeping method is unique--read on:
1. Use 1 fresh chicken, about 1.25-1.5kg. Remove the fat around the cavity and reserve it for the rice. Rub the inside with 1ts shao hsing wine and 1/2 tb soy sauce. Tuck inside 2 slices ginger, 1 clove garlic (smashed), and 1 spring onion (chopped).
2. In a pan just large enough to hold the chicken, boil sufficient water to cover the chicken. When boiling rapidly, turn off the heat. Then:
3. Immerse chicken in water, covering pan--for 5 MINUTES.
4. Lift the chicken, drain the water from the cavity.
5. Then, Immerse the chicken in water again, covering pan--15 MINUTES.
6. Repeat the draining process.
7. Immerse the chicken in water again, covering pan--10 MINUTES.
8. REBOIL THE WATER. When the water is almost to the boil, turn OFF the heat and then:
9. Immerse the chicken in the water again, covering pan--15 MINUTES.
10. Repeat the draining process.
11. Finally, immerse the chicken in the water again, covering pan--15 MINUTES.
Let the chicken cool before chopping.
12. While chicken is cooking, prepare rice by heating up a wok with some oil, garlic & chicken fat. Stir fry the rice till fragrant & translucent. Then, place rice into rice cooker & cook with chicken stock.
13. To prepare the soup, use the water that the chicken has been steeped in. After you have chopped the chicken, you may choose to reboil the neck & other boney parts that you're not planning to eat in the soup again. You can also add a bit of chicken stock powder to intensify the flavour.
Recipe: Wendy Hutton's Singapore Food, the best Singapore recipe book I've come across so far.

Dad from Singapore

Eh hem .... Sounds similar. Let me share my cooking method. Your description on cooking the chicken, particularly the rice, is what I learnt from my late mother; except for the steeping part in which the chicken is soaked in water several times. As for soup, I use the same water which was used to cook the chicken in the first instance, not adding chicken stock. I then add vegetable, fish maw (stuffed with mince pork) and some canned green pea, bring them to boil and serve it during the meal; no salt is added as it would have been added when cooking the chicken. Try making the vegetable chicken soup next time you cook chicken rice; I believe its a Hainanese style ! :-)

Fong from Singapore

Will try (hopefully this weekend) and let you know the results. By the way, how do you test whether the chicken is cooked (other than chopping up the chicken)? waiting for your next recipe on chilli sauce (hee... the ultimate challenge).

13 Oct 2008 7:38am

Fong from Singapore

Tried the recipe last night. A little bland, probably cos I din use MSG. I used the Sakura chicken (from NTUC) which looks bigger than the 1.25 - 1.5 kg chicken that u recommended. Overall, outside chicken rice is definitely tastier, but home-cooked one is special! I also made the minced ginger by pounding ginger and with 2 stalks of spring onions (the white portion only). Add salt, sesame oil and shallot oil to taste.

hey! i tried this today, and it was great! but I think in Step 7, you forgot to add the line, "Remove chicken" cos in Step 8, you talk about reboiling the water and then putting the chicken back in when the water is almost boiled. I think this is why I didn't do so well the last time, cos I didn't look ahead to read the instructions and just followed step by step! ha ha.thanks for sharing this